Colorado Academy’s SPEAK (Series for Parent Education About Kids) Program is a robust, educational lecture series produced by CA in collaboration with the Parent Association to host national and local experts who speak on topics of interest. The lecture series is provided as a free service to the CA community, and presentation times are varied to accommodate parent schedules. Sign up on the CA website to attend these informative and enlightening lectures. During 2020-2021, many of these events will be held remotely via Zoom.
All-School
“Ready or Not,” Madeline Levine, author and co-founder of Challenge Success
Thursday, September 24, 2020, at 9:45 a.m. via Zoom
Madeline Levine, PhD, is a clinician, consultant, educator, and the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers on parenting. In her newest book, Ready or Not: Effective Parenting in an Uncertain World, she focuses on the skill set that children will need most going forward, given our uncertain and rapidly changing world. She’ll help parents understand the high levels of anxiety that accompany such accelerated and unpredictable change. Levine began her career as an elementary and junior high school teacher before earning multiple degrees, including an MA and PhD in Psychology. She is a co-founder of Challenge Success, a project of the Stanford Graduate School of Education that provides families and schools with tools to create more balance in the lives of children. Registration required to attend this Zoom event. Please visit www.coloradoacademy.org/speak for registration information.
Middle School
“Social Skill Development during the Age of Social Distancing,” Nick Haisman-Smith, co-founder of INSEL
Friday, October 23, 2020, at 11 a.m. via Zoom
Having Middle Schoolers social distance is a BIG ask. Every fiber of the Middle School brain wants to be “up close and personal” with their friends. How can we help young people develop the social and emotional skills that they need while social distancing and wearing a mask in the middle of a global pandemic? Nick Haisman-Smith, Director and Co-Founder of the Institute for Social and Emotional Learning, will help us explore this important topic, while providing numerous suggestions for parents. Registration required to attend this Zoom event. Please visit www.coloradoacademy.org/speak for registration information.
All-School
“Social Media Wellness,” Ana Homayoun, author and educator
Thursday, October 29, 2020, at 9:45 a.m. via Zoom
Working with young people in today’s digital world has never been so complex. Our technology-infused learning environments play host to many distractions, including social media. Ana Homayoun, a San Francisco-based author, school consultant, and educator, helps parents understand the latest trends in the world of social media socialization, and provides practical tips on how we can make better choices around social media use, managing distractions, and overall wellness. Homayoun is the author of three books, including Social Media Wellness: Helping Tweens and Teens Thrive in an Unbalanced Digital World. Registration required to attend this Zoom event. Please visit www.coloradoacademy.org/speak for registration information.
Middle School
“My Kid is an Organizational MESS! Helping Kids Develop Executive Function Skills,” Morgan Beidleman, educational consultant and director, REACH Learning Services
Friday, November 13, 2020, at 9:45 a.m. via Zoom
For many students thinking ahead, prioritizing and being organized is terrifically hard. Join Morgan Beidleman as she explores how the brain develops the ability to organize, prioritize, self-regulate, and make decisions. Biedleman has worked with schools and families in a wide variety of capacities and is owner and director of REACH Learning Services. This talk will focus on ways that parents can support their students to develop this important constellation of success skills more quickly. Registration required to attend this Zoom event. Please visit www.coloradoacademy.org/speak for registration information.
All-School
“CrazyBusy? Strategies for Handling Your and Your Children’s Fast-Paced Lives,” Dr. Ned Hallowell, author and psychiatrist
Thursday, November 19, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom
Even in the best of times, being too busy can become a habit so entrenched that it leads you to postpone or cut short what matters most. Now we find ourselves working from home, parenting in a pandemic, overseeing our children’s school work, disconnected from our families, friends, and everyday routines, and trying to establish a new sense of normal. So it’s not unusual to feel frustrated at how hard you have to struggle to keep up with all your commitments, while balancing your children’s overloaded schedules. Do you keep thinking there must be a better way? Dr. Edward “Ned” Hallowell, parent, New York Times bestselling author, and board-certified child and adult psychiatrist, understands the demands that parents face. In this webinar, you’ll learn how to balance your crazy busy life. Dr. Hallowell will provide tips and coping strategies to help parents navigate and manage these challenging times for themselves and their children. He’ll also provide tips on parenting in the age of COVID. Registration required to attend this Zoom event. Please visit www.coloradoacademy.org/speak for registration information.
All-School
“Navigating Teenage Sexuality and Relationships,” Peggy Orenstein, author
Tuesday, December 8, 2020, at 9:45 a.m. via Zoom
New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and internationally recognized speaker on gender issues, Peggy Orenstein dives into the lives of young people to unravel the hidden truths, hard lessons, and important realities of their lives. Author of several books about young people and their relationships, including Cinderella Ate My Daughter, Waiting for Daisy, SchoolGirls, and now, Boys & Sex, Orenstein, as one reviewer puts it, “dares to do what so many of us are afraid of: actually asking boys about sex and then listening to what they have to say. Their answers are illuminating, oftentimes surprising–and essential.” Another reviewer says Orenstein’s latest book is “required reading for anyone who has ever loved, raised, been, or will become a boy.” *Note, this event will not be recorded.* Registration required to attend this Zoom event. Please visit www.coloradoacademy.org/speak for registration information.
All-School
“The Formative Five: Fostering Grit, Empathy, and Other Success Skills,” Thomas Hoerr, PhD, author and educator
Thursday, January 14, 2021, at 9:45 a.m. via Zoom
Dr. Tom Hoerr, a nearly 40-year leader of schools and professor of educational leadership, shares tips from his latest book, The Formative Five: Fostering Grit, Empathy, and Other Success Skills Every Student Needs. He will talk about the need to prepare children to succeed in life, not simply to do well in school. Hoerr is also author of Fostering Grit; The Art of School Leadership; Becoming a Multiple Intelligences School; and School Leadership for the Future. He has written more than 150 articles, and his “Principal Connection” column was published in Educational Leadership magazine for more than a dozen years. He holds a PhD from Washington University in St. Louis, and founded and directed the Non-Profit Management Program there. Registration required to attend this Zoom event. Please visit www.coloradoacademy.org/speak for registration information.
All-School
“Navigate Your Stars,” Jesmyn Ward, author and professor
Thursday, January 28, 2021, at 5:30 p.m. (This event will be held in person until further notice.)
Hailed as “the new Toni Morrison” by the American Booksellers Association, MacArthur Genius and two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward is the author of fiction, nonfiction, and memoir that the New York Times Book Review called “raw, beautiful and dangerous.” In 2017, she became the first woman and first person of color to win the National Book Award for Fiction twice, joining the ranks of William Faulkner, Saul Bellow, and John Updike. Ward’s novels, primarily set on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, are deeply informed by the trauma of Hurricane Katrina. Her newest novel, the critically acclaimed Sing, Unburied, Sing, won the 2017 National Book Award. Named “a searing, urgent read for anyone who thinks the shadows of slavery and Jim Crow have passed,” it was named one of the best books of 2017 by the New York Times, Time, Washington Post, and Publisher’s Weekly. The novel was also nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Aspen Words Literary Prize. Ward’s latest is “Navigate Your Stars,” an adaptation of her 2018 Tulane University Commencement speech that champions the value of hard work and the importance of respect for oneself and others. Ward is a professor of creative writing at Tulane University and was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2018.
All-School
“Holistic Nutrition and Wellness,” Georgia Grey ‘08, nutritionist and health coach
Wednesday, February 10, 2021, at 9:45 a.m. via Zoom
Join Holistic Health Coach and founder of WBH Nutrition Co., CA alumna Georgia Grey, for an informational Zoom event on nutritious meals your kids will love. Grey will teach what makes a balanced meal and help you empower your children to make healthy choices. She will suggest strategies for eating well as a family, all while not breaking the bank. Registration required to attend this Zoom event. Please visit www.coloradoacademy.org/speak for registration information.
All-School
“State of the School,” Dr. Mike Davis, Head of School
Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 9:45 a.m. (This event will be held in person until further notice.)
Join Head of School Dr. Mike Davis as he shares the latest CA news. The meeting is preceded by a brief Parent Association presentation, which will include the Parent Association Officers Slate for the 2021-2022 school year and options for gifting fundraising dollars back to CA.
All-School
“Keeping Kids Safe –Taming our Technology,” Devorah Heitner, author and educator
Thursday, April 1, 2021, at 9:45 a.m. via Zoom
Screenwise author and previous SPEAK lecturer, Devorah Heitner, PhD, offers a webinar focused on the social-emotional components of balancing screen time with unplugged time in family life. What should the “screen time” rules be for both recreational and learning tech use during this unusual time? She will also talk about parenting kids when it comes to social media, texting, and gaming, as well as how to keep up with news without getting overwhelmed (and being cautious with what news kids are consuming.) Heitner is the author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in their Digital World, a guide for parents to mentoring digital kids. Her insights have appeared in the Washington Post, Real Simple, New York Times, Psychology Today, and more. She holds a PhD in Media/Technology and Society from Northwestern University, has taught at DePaul University and Northwestern University, and is delighted to be raising her own digital native. Registration required to attend this Zoom event. Please visit www.coloradoacademy.org/speak for registration information.
All-School
“Awakening the Creativity Within,” Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis, physician and community leader
Thursday, April 8, 2021, at 9:45 a.m. (This event will be held in person until further notice.)
Do you think of yourself as creative? If not, Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis can convince you otherwise! Allen-Davis, who is Craig Hospital President & CEO, a physician, and a community leader, is also a fabric artist. Her works of art have been on display at galleries throughout the Denver area, including at CA years ago. This SPEAK lecture will inspire your creative side and motivate you to pick up a brush, get your hands dirty with clay, see beauty through a camera’s lens and more. Jandel will also share her thoughts on how finding alone time for art helps her engage differently at work and at home. Dr. Allen-Davis was previously the vice-president of Government, External Relations, and Research for Kaiser Permanente Colorado from 2009-2018. She is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and was in active practice for 25 years.
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